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Gibby
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Gibby
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PostMon Mar 25, 2019 3:04 pm 
Hi Everyone, I'm planning a backpacking trip near Seattle in early July. I was hoping to find a great 3 night trip in some alpine lakes but lost the oh so infamous Enchantments Permit. In looking around for similar style hikes, I found the high divide trail in Olympic and the Marmot lakes area. It seems that the concern with both of those areas would be snow accumulation that early in the season. We plan to head out July 1st. From what I can find online, it seems that snow has been relatively light this season (461in vs 844in this time last year), but I'm from Texas, so what do I know. I was hoping that some locals could help out and give me some guidance on whether or not I could rely on those trails being passable. Also, if there are any other better suggestions for the Seattle area with alpine lakes, that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

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Randito
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PostMon Mar 25, 2019 3:35 pm 
Robin Lakes will have snow at that time. There will likely be bare areas nearby the lakes where you could camp on bare ground. Look on a topo map for south facing areas NW of the lake basin. The "trail" between Tuck lake and the Robins is more of a boot track than a trail and several sections require scrambling up bare rock that is north aspect -- I think that may still be snow covered 1st week of July -- at least I would recommend being prepared to travel on snow.

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Gibby
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Gibby
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PostMon Mar 25, 2019 4:57 pm 
Ok good to know. I'm ok with some snow. As long as the trail isn't covered in snow and I can set up a tent on dirt. I have yak trax and plan on bringing them. I was thinking that if we get to Tuck and see that Robin is too covered, we may spend one night, head down and spend the second night near Peggys Pond as it is closer in elevation to Tuck. Is that assumption right? Also, I can't find anything about permits for that area, are permits not required?

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BarbE
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PostMon Mar 25, 2019 5:57 pm 
Last year mid July we found plenty of snow free campsites by going past Robin Lakes and heading for the flat meadow above the lakes. We had the place to ourselves since most hikers stayed below at Tuck Lakes for fear of snow. More info in trip reports -Ragman/Rodman -French Ridge East & West Peaks No permits are required. Views looking down on Upper Robin from camp.
Sunset on Upper Robin Lakes
Sunset on Upper Robin Lakes

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kiliki
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PostTue Mar 26, 2019 9:02 am 
Will you have a rental car, or are you visiting a friend that has a vehicle with some clearance? The road to the Tuck/Robin trailhead is usually rough and there is a creek crossing that at that time will be high. I would not take the rental on this road. If you do rent an SUV with some clearance, be sure it's equipped with everything you need to change a tire in case you puncture a tire. Rentals never have good tires so I think it would be particularly vulnerable. Also, look at WTA trip reports and be sure the road is open before you set out. Every winter some roads are damaged and we won't know until the snow starts to melt and people start to try to get up there. If you are coming on the weekend be prepared for a lot of people. This area has always been busy but is particularly so with the Instagram crowd these days.

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Gibby
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Gibby
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PostTue Mar 26, 2019 9:36 am 
I have a full size SUV rental booked. I kinda assumed some of the roads would be rough, so glad I made the right choice there. I'll definitely be checking the trip reports, those are really helpful. Any other suggested hikes in the area if Alpine lakes wilderness isn't accessible for some reason?

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joker
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PostTue Mar 26, 2019 11:01 am 
To underscore kiliki's comment about the creek crossing - it's a road ford that can be of rather mysterious depth in early season when the active snowmelt has the creek running high. And when you write "as long as the trail isn't covered in snow," I'm wondering what you mean. As Randy noted, some stretches of trail will fairly likely be snow covered at that point - possibly decent stretches so you may not see the usual navigational cues like boot tread through dirt areas and/or cairns etc. for a while. If we have a super hot May and/or June, it may well melt out early as the "new normal" is still a moving target it seems. If you want a higher likelihood of not hiking a fair bit on snow and having to hunt for bare ground, you might consider alternate destinations such as some parts of the Teanaway or the Sawtooths on the east side of Lake Chelan (check trip reports through time on www.wta.org as well as here to see what typically is flower-filled and fairly snow-free at that point in time). The eastern edge of the Cascades tends to get less snow (though I'm not sure if that holds this winter as we had some big storms that came up the Columbia) and also tends to melt out faster (warmer once we get into summer) than closer to or west of the crest. If you follow trip reports on wta as your time approaches you'll likely get a better feel for what to expect this year.

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iron
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PostTue Mar 26, 2019 11:51 am 
last year was hot, early. fast snow melt, so don't let total snowfall fool you. who knows on this year. i thought chelan sawtooths were nice early season. flowers just coming out. good lakes. easy trails. easy, but longer, drive. or, big heart lake and environs. should be little snow there. also, crazy that someone from texas is looking for T&R. sign of the times i guess.

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Foist
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PostTue Mar 26, 2019 3:26 pm 
Jeff wrote:
Most of these destinations are in the alpine lakes wilderness which does require a permit. You can get one for free at the trailhead. It's a common misconception that a permit is not required.
Wow that is an extreme nitpick. It's really weird that they call that a "permit." No one would consider it a permit under the ordinary sense of the word. There's no application, no limit, and no one has to issue it to you. You just fill out a card and stick it to your pack. Oh and no one checks if you did it.

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Randito
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PostTue Mar 26, 2019 3:50 pm 
A bit more detail. There is no constructed trail to Tuck and Robin Lakes -- it's all a boot track above the PCT formed by the passage of many feet. Following the track to Tuck lake isn't bad. Above Tuck lake it gets more interesting. I've visited in August and September. Even when snow free following the track is more of a scramble than following a trail. Significant numbers of people camp at Tuck lake and day hike to the Robins to avoid humping an overnight load up. Remember you have to come back down too and if your knees are at all grumpy this might be the crux. Camping at Tuck is an option, but tent space is actually pretty limited at Tuck, so it could get crowded. The last time I visited in September 2015 there were 20 parties camped ridiculously close to the water along the creek that flows between the two Robin lakes. I hiked a bit farther and had a super view of Mt Daniel and no complaints about my snoring.

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